Suibokuga (水墨画), also called sumi-e (墨絵), is a form of art that uses black sumi ink to paint on washi paper. This seemingly simple monochrome art form requires various brush stroke techniques which create and express the subtle nuances of light and shade onto a sheet of paper.

Artist Yoshio Ikezaki has been creating contemporary monochrome art works using sumi-e techniques for years, and some of his works are currently on view as part of the “ATMOSPHERE IN JAPANESE PAINTING” exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He also makes his own washi paper and sumi ink for his art works.

In this rare opportunity, Yoshio Ikezaki will take us behind the scenes of his creative process by showing how he prepares washi paper and sumi ink for his art work, after which he will treat us to a live demonstration in which he will create a new work on the spot before our eyes.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Yoshio Ikezaki is an internationally known Japanese American artist who lives in Los Angeles, California. He is a master of both painting in sumi ink as well as papermaking. He paints with “chi” energy to create compositions capturing the forces of nature. Yoshio Ikezaki makes all of his own paper for sculptures. He layers the paper into 50-to-200-layer blocks which he then forms by hand. Museum of Art and Design in New York City has his 33 pieces of designed paper as a permanent collection. His recent sumi ink paintings and sculptures show evidence of his intension to merge “East and West”, a coalescence of Western modern and Japanese traditions. He has had more than 50 solo exhibits and 90 group exhibits for over 40 years in museums and galleries in many countries, including USA, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Japan, Korea, Thailand and more. His US exhibits include a solo show at Pacific Asian Museum and a retrospective at LA Artcore Center of the Arts. His most recent 2017 shows include a solo exhibit, a survey show entitled “Elements” at the Williamson Gallery of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, an exhibit at the Kylin Gallery in Beverly Hills, and group exhibit entitled “Atmosphere in Japanese Painting” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Los Angeles.